Reviews

Metric

Art of Doubt

MMI/Crystal Math Music

This Canadian indie band is known for a razor sharp mix of meticulously produced synth pop, bolstered by the icy smooth vocals of frontwoman Emily Haines, geared to play well to large audiences. Those large audiences partially materialized when they landed the theme song to the Grammy-nominated soundtrack to The Twilight Saga: Eclipse back in 2010.

Kudos to Metric for changing things up on Art of Doubt, their seventh studio album,as it would have been an easy sell for them to continue down the same successful path. Instead, the razor has been dulled a bit, the icy vocals have thawed, and the glossy production has been reduced. Energetic guitars have replaced a lot of the crisp electronic synths, and the overall feel is infused with more emotion while still retaining remnants of an electro-pop sheen.

An added feature that tops it off is Haines' vocals. Her distinctive voice is more guttural and dynamic than past efforts and comes off as more passionate, making it easy for the listener to immediately connect with the music. Repeated plays only confirm that when coupled with textured and frothy guitar leads and energetic bursts of buzzy synths, this is pop in rock's clothing and it's also damn good.

In addition to standout single "Dressed to Suppress," the album starts off with a bang that includes three straight gems in "Dark Saturday," "Love You Back," and "Die Happy" that explore all angles of this new dynamic and vibrant sound with equally striking vocals.

Unfortunately this new found glory can't be sustained through all 12 tracks as the tempos slow and the vocals become less feral and more charming and the rocky edges are smoothed over and woven into a blithe pop vibe. It's still some sweet ear candy just not as tart.

Overall though, Art of Doubt proves that Metric are no one trick pony and are willing to push the envelope outside of their comfort zone to create a layered and attractive sound that should still play well to large audiences. (www.ilovemetric.com)